At the start of the summer, the federal government found itself on the brink of losing more than 176,000 square feet of office space in downtown Washington, just blocks from the White House. The government’s lease was set to expire in mid-June. When the U.S. General Services Administration failed to reach an agreement with the property owner to extend the lease, the government turned to the power of eminent domain — filing suit in Washington federal district court to seize the building’s leasehold interest.
There was no long court fight, however. Less than a week after the U.S. Justice Department filed suit, the lease dispute ended. In a court filing, Justice Department lawyers said the government reached an agreement with the building’s owner to extend the lease for three years.
